Richmond developer, wife boost VT real estate program

Virginia Tech alumni Willis and Mary Nolen Blackwood made a $2 million donation to the university’s Program in Real Estate, an undergraduate major that the couple has supported since its inception in fall 2013. Willis Blackwood, who graduated in 1972 ...

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Richmond developer, wife boost VT real estate programJonathan Spiers January 26, 2018 3
Willis and Mary Nolen Blackwood on the Virginia Tech campus(Virginia Tech)A pair of local Hokies is making a $2 million investment in one of their alma mater’s newest courses of study.Virginia Tech alumni Willis and Mary Nolen Blackwood made a $2 million donation to the university’s Program in Real Estate, an undergraduate major that the couple has supported since its inception in fall 2013.Willis Blackwood, who graduated in 1972 with a bachelor’s in business administration, is founder and president of Blackwood Development, a Midlothian-based firm behind such projects as the recently approved Winterfield Crossing, a $40 million mixed-use development planned along Midlothian Turnpike.The program, which offers a bachelor’s degree in real estate, integrates subjects such as finance, law and property management through academic courses, guest lectures by industry professionals and internship opportunities.Blackwood, who also has an MBA from VCU, said the real estate program provides VT students with a more direct path to careers such as his.